Island



(No Model.)

- D. D. WHITNEY.

r TOY. .1 Patented May 3, 1887.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL D. \VHITNEY, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO W. E. SPARROW, OF MATTAPOISETT, MASSACHUSETTS.

TOY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 362,238, dated May 3, 1887.

Application filed June 24,1886, Renewed April 2, 1887. Serial No. 233,927. (No model.)

To all whom/it may concern:

Be it known that l, DANIEL D. WHITNEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a certain new and useful Toy; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters'and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has relation to toys; and it consists in an inclined track secured on a base, a carriage, a spring-board, a grooved board, and a wire frame holding a netting, cloth, or other like material, all being connected together and operated by proper mechanism for throwing the image of the man or other thing from the carriage over a flag, horse, or other thing placed on the grooved board onto the said netting.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the base, inclined track, carriage, spring-board, and groove-board.

My invention is described as follows:

In the accompanying drawings, 1 is the base-board. 2 is an inclined track situated on said base-board 1 by means of feet 3 3. At the lower end of the inclined track is secured on the said base-board a spring-board, 4, which is pivoted to the said base-board 1 by means of a bar, 5, passing horizontally through said spring-board, with its ends pivoted in the upper ends of rods 6, which are secured in the upper face of said base-board 1. In the front end of the said spring-board 4 is a hook, 7, over which is placed an elastic band, 8, the lower end of which is placed over a corresponding pin, 9, in the front end of said baseboard 1. Said rubber 8 is so taut that when the rear end of said spring-board is let loose it throws the same up, as indicated by the dotted lines 10. On the bottom of said base-board is a catch, 11, which extends beyond the rear end of said spring-board and under the bottom of the inclined track 2. This catch 11 is turned square up to an angle of ninety degrees being thus released tips up its rear end andthrows whatever may be on it forward. The carriage 14, however, is prevented from being thrown off of said springboard by the braces 16, secured to the top thereof, under which the -said carriage runs.

Attached to the frontend of the base 1 is a grooved platform, 17. The grooves 18 in the same are for the purpose of holding upright a flag, a horse, anelephant, or any other thing or things over which the acrobat 19 is thrown. In front of the said grooved platform and on a line with the sameis a wire frame, 20, which is intended to hold the netting or other like thing to catch the acrobat as he tumbles over the flag or other thing erected on the said platform. The said wire frame 20 is attached to a spring-rod, 21, which is secured in a block, 22, which block is pivoted on the base 1 by a pin, 23, passing through its center. The front end of the said rod 21 is caught under a hook, 24, on the front end of the grooved platform 17. Vhen the acrobat 19 falls upon the netting in frame 20, the weight of the fall springs the said spring-rod down and releases it from the catch 21, and it is immediately carried round, as indicated by the dotted lines 25, to the rear end of the inclined track 2, by means of a spiral spring in the block 22, or a rubber caught over the end of the pin 26.

My toy is operated as follows: The carriage let is run up to the rear end of the inclined track 2 and held by the catch 15. The rear end of the spring-board is pressed down and the catch 11 pushed upuntil it catches under the lower end of the inclined track, and the frame 20 is pushed round and the spring-rod 21 secured under the hook 221. There is mounted on the platform 17 a flag, horse, clef phant, or other things over which it is intended the acrobat shall make'his somersault. Now,

the acrobatis placed upon the car 14, and all being ready I touch the catch 15 and the car 14 runs down the track and under the arms 16,

strikes the upper end of the catch 11, releases it from under the lower end of the track, and immediately the rubber band 8 pulls the front end of the spring-board down with a quick jerk until it strikes the block 27. This action throws the acrobat from the said platform over the flag or other things mentioned onto the netting in the wire frame 20. The momentum of his fall releases the spring wire 21 from the catch 24, when the mechanism at the said block 22 iminediatelycarries the said frame back to the side and rear end of the inclined track 2.

I do not confine myself to throwing the spring-board by means of the rubber band 8, but may adopt any other equivalent means; nor do I confine myself to the manner shown in Fig. l for mounting the acrobat on the car 14, but may mount him by any other known 7 simple means now in use, and the same may be said with reference to mounting the flag or animals on the platform 17, as I do not claim a patent for the method of mounting these things; but

\Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

- 1. The combination of the base 1, inclined track 2, mounted on the said base, adapted to carry the car 14, springboard 1, pivoted over the base 1 and having the catch 1], as described, and being operated by the rubber band 8, or other equivalent means, platform 17, having the catch 24 near its front end, block 22, pivoted on the pin 23, near the front end of the base 1, and adapted to be swung round by a spiral spring or rubber strap, as described, spring-rod 21, secured in the front end of block 22, adapted to be caught in catch 24, frame 20, secured to the front end of said rod and carrying a netting or other equivalent, carriage 14, adapted to run down on platform 4 and strike the catch 11, an acrobat or other equivalent adapted to be thrown on the netting in frame 20 and release the spring 21 from the catch 24, substantially as shown and described, and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination of the base 1, having erected on its upper face an inclined track, 2,

spring-board 4, pivoted over said base 1 in the eyes 6, catch 11, one end secured in the eyes 12 under the said spring-board, the other end turned up and passing through the slot 13 in said spring-board, rubber band 8, or equiva lent, attached to the front ends of said spring board and base 1, platform 17, attached to front end of said base, and frame 20, near front end of the platform 17, and on aline with the same, and car 14, adapted to run down the inclined track 2 and strike the catch 11, substantially as shown and described, and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DANIEL D. WHITNEY.

\Vitnesses:

FRANK G. FERRIN, FRANK P. BARROWS. 

